Democracy & Citizenship
June 14, 2010 at 16:29 · Jon writes about Democracy & Citizenship, Politics
Switching the television over to the twenty-four-hour news channels and finding out what wasn’t breaking news was never particularly difficult and so following unfolding political stories was normally easy for me. But recently, thanks to being at university, I’ve been relying on Twitter for instant news – a little less bias than the Murdoch empire and more reliable than the BBC, although the latter is more reliant on there not being a major sporting or entertainment event which crashes the site! It’s quick to find out what’s happening, and it’s even easier to relay your response straight away. But if there is one downside to Twitter, it’s this ability to comment on things without knowing the full story, without thinking about the whole story and giving rash instinctual, or at least party political, reactions. Read More »
April 8, 2010 at 21:40 · Jon writes about Democracy & Citizenship, Politics, Sport
The Olympics are not just a great opportunity to showcase Britain’s sporting legacy and inspire the next generations to take on the Olympic values and encompass sport into their lives – but a real opportunity to redevelop a deprived area of London and kick-start regeneration that otherwise would have taken 60 years, instead of just 6. But in the midst of all this high-profile construction and preparation there looms a bigger issue and one that is not always ignored, but certainly never given the appreciation it deserves. Activists who look at the Olympic Games with a negative perspective might on first look have good reason to. It’s easy to dismiss the whole event as an extravagant ‘party’ that showcases nothing but athletes on drugs, and then at the end of the whole charade the host city is left with huge white elephant developments that leave the taxpayers a growing bill for years to come and a more expensive city with inflated housing prices. Read More »
January 5, 2010 at 12:09 · Jon writes about Democracy & Citizenship
It’s no surprise that today we’re not just talking about the first repatriation ceremony in the new year, but also the fury of many towards a planned ‘Islam’ march through the very same village where those who have lost their lives in Afghanistan will pass through this afternoon. Invitations crop up on none other than Facebook to condone the planned actions of Anjem Choudary and his ‘Islam4UK’ group. Read More »
